xCape to Falls - 22 days

Saturday. Welcome to Cape Town, South Africa! An arrival transfer to our accommodation is included. Today there is a welcome meeting at 17.00hrs where you will meet your tour leader and fellow passengers.

Cape Town - Cederberg. Leaving Cape Town, we head around Table Bay and travel north to a picturesque campsite, surrounded by wine farms in the Cederburg Area. This afternoon we sample some of the nectar of the gods with an optional wine tasting after taking a short walk in the surrounding vineyards to explore the exquisite views of the Cederberg Mountains.

Cederberg - Gariep River. From the Cederberg we travel further north through the region known as Namaqualand and the desert area of the Richtersveld to the Gariep River, the natural land border between South Africa and Namibia, where we camp at a beautiful campsite on the South African bank of the river.

Gariep River - Fish River Canyon (Namibia). This morning we travel to the Fish River Canyon. At 161 km long, 27 km wide and about 550 m deep, it’s the second largest canyon in the world. A road follows the eastern rim, giving us access to several viewing points from where we can take in the spectacular vistas.

Fish River Canyon - Sesriem. An early start today, heading north we enter the Namib-Naukluft desert, one of the oldest in the world. We base ourselves at Sesriem, a good place to experience the Namib and its many moods. A short distance away is Sossusvlei, surrounded by a dramatic sea of sand dunes which are reputed to be the highest in the world.

This morning we enter the Namib-Naukluft National Park where we spend the morning exploring this amazing area. View the sunrise from the top of Dune 45 - a truly memorable experience. Following our sunrise experience we head a further 5kms into the desert and take a walk to Sossusvlei and Deadvlei and explore the surrounding area.

Sesriem - Swakopmund. Our next stop is Namibia’s prime holiday resort - Swakopmund where we enjoy 2 nights of rest, relaxation and a little bit of adrenalin for those that are keen! Founded by the Germans in 1892, their colonial influence is still evident today. Swakopmund has lovely beaches, restaurants & bars as well as many arts and crafts shops selling Namibian curios. Optional excursions include sky diving, quad biking, sand boarding, scenic desert flights, dolphin cruises, fishing trips, golf, horse riding and more.

Swakopmund - Brandberg. Our departure from Swakopmund takes us through the ‘Matterhorn of Namibia’ - Spitzkoppe. The 1728m high rock formation, one of Namibia’s most recognised landmarks, is well known as an ancient San sacred site. Explore the surrounding area and its San rock paintings or simply enjoy the magnificent views. After our visit to Spitzkoppe we head off to our next destination – Brandberg

Brandberg - Etosha National Park area. On day 10 our drive takes us further north through the Namibian countryside to our campsite, located in the vicinity of Etosha National Park. The following day we explore Etosha National Park. Covering 22,700 km, Etosha is Namibia’s premier nature and wildlife reserve. Situated around the Etosha Pan with a large variety of animal and bird life, the extensive network of gravel roads affords us the opportunity of accessing even the most remote areas of the park. After lunch, and once it has cooled off a bit, we spend the remainder of the day exploring the park’s southern area. Keep an eye out for the striking Oryx and Springbok as these are endemic to desert National Parks! The camp tonight is situated just outside the parks boundaries, only 10kms from Anderson Gate. Perhaps a quick dip in the pool or a sun downer on the deck before dinner.

Today we make our way 150 km across the park, keeping a look out for the many different mammals, reptiles, birds and insects in the various regions. After a full day of game viewing, we spend the evening relaxing at our camp in the north of the park, Namutoni. After dinner why not head to the waterhole where you can sit and observe the animals which may come to drink in the evenings.

Etosha - Windhoek - Ghanzi - Maun (Botswana). From Etosha, we head to the capital Windhoek for some free time in the afternoon. Departing on day 14 we enter into Botswana and stop in Ghanzi in the middle of the Kalahari Desert - home to the famous San Bushmen.



Continuing on day 15 we head to Maun - our base for the Okavango Delta. Tonight we prepare our provisions and packs for our 1 night excursion. We suggest bringing along a smaller daypack on your trip as this can be used to pack the supplies needed for this short excursion. Your trip leader will brief you fully on what is needed, and what to expect prior to your trip to the Delta.

Maun - Okavango Delta. The Delta is a huge expanse of water, which has travelled from the Angolan highlands, spreading out to form the largest inland delta in the world. Studded with exotic islands, The Delta is renowned for its incredible variety of bird life and animals and is unique to Southern Africa.

Here we take an overnight excursion into the Delta. After an early rise, we pack our expedition vehicle and from Maun we drive north for a couple of hours to reach the mokoro poler’s station. The Delta region is studded with local villages where many families live in a traditional way. Some of the villages are very remote and can only be reached by the traditional mode of transport – the Mokoro. Mokoros are dugout canoes manoeuvred through the waterways by local guides who “pole” them through the reeds. At the Mokoro station, we meet our ‘Polers’ and pack our supplies before heading out into the waterways. After a couple of hours, we arrive at our bush camp situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta.

Okovango Delta – Maun. After our Mokoro ride and vehicle transfer, we arrive back around lunch time and have the chance to complete our picture of the Okavango Delta by taking an optional scenic flight over the Delta (dependent on weather conditions & availability).

Maun - Nata Region. We leave this beautiful part of Botswana behind us this morning and transfer to the lush campsite called Elephant Sands. The drive will take you through a sparse landscape where donkeys roam freely. On arrival, there's an optional game drive or bushwalk.

Nata Region - Chobe. We travel north to the town of Kasane where we set up camp on the banks of the Chobe River. The river forms a border between Botswana, Namibia and Zambia and is the main water source to Chobe National Park. The next morning we have a chance to sleep in or explore the town of Kasane.



Once we are packed and prepared on day 20, we leave for our Chobe National Park overnight mobile excursion – an experience in the wilds of the Chobe National Park. Chobe is one of Botswana’s premier game parks, renowned for its large elephant herds. Spend the afternoon in search of wildlife while we game drive to our camp within the park. Look out for the rare Sable and Roan Antelope on your game drive, with their majestic backward slanting horns, or try to keep a count of the Lilac Breasted Rollers that swoop by. Spend the evening surrounded by the night-time noises of the local wildlife.

Chobe - Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). After our night in the bush, we head out early to continue our search for wildlife, before packing up the camp and heading back to Kasane. We travel onwards to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Named after the famous World Heritage site and Water Falls, the town of Victoria Falls is situated on the Zambezi River and surrounded by the Victoria Falls National Park. A 20 minute walk down the main road takes you to the entry point to view the falls, which are situated between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The afternoon is spent relaxing at the campsite’s swimming pool, viewing the Victoria Falls, or exploring the many sights and delights of this town.

Saturday. Our African adventure ends after breakfast today. We suggest extending your stay to take advantage of the exciting optional excursions available at Victoria Falls, which include horseback safaris, a visit to the crocodile ranch, flights over the falls and more.